Connecting rod



March 28, 1933. J QNSTOTT 1,903,064

CONNECTING ROD Filed Oct. 6, 1930 INVENTOR J, T. onszoa Patented Mar. 28, 1933 UNITED STATES JACOB T. ONSTOTT, OF YUBA CITY, CALIFORNIA CONNECTING ROD Application filed October 6, 1930. Serial N0. 486,609.

This invention relates to gas engine connecting rods, my principal objects being to provide a rod constructed so that proper v lubrication of the crank pins throughout their length is provided, and therefore there is less tendency for the rod bearings to wear out of round or lose their proper adjustment; 2. rod with which adjustments may be easily and quickly effected without necessitating the use of shims, and so that the bearing members engage the pins with a constant and positive pressure; and a rod which tends to absorb the explosive shock imparted to the a cushion and thus cushions the impact on the crank pin instead of imparting a hammering blow to the same, as is the case with the ordinary form of connecting rod.

A further object is to provide a simple and c inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figs. 1 to 4 are side elevations of various forms of a connecting rod all constructed according to the principles of my invention; and in all of which forms, as will be evident, the usual cast one-piece web is replaced by a pair of transversely spaced web elements.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, and

particularly at present to Fig. 1, the rod con- 4 sists of a pair of transversely spaced web members 1 of rectangular relatively flat crosssection or similar to a leaf spring. These webs are formed of spring metal, being disposed with their relatively wide faces adj acent each other and are arranged in opposite relation with a diverging bow relative to each other from their center of length toward their ends. On one end the webs have op- U posed wrist pin hub elements 2 disposed in facing relation to each other, and at the other end they have opposed crank pin hub elements 3 likewise disposed in facing relation to each other. The pairs of hubs 2 and 3 are integral with the webs and are adapted to engage the wrist pin and crank pin 4 and 5 respectively from opposite sides of the same instead of from the top and bottom, as is usually the case.

The hub elements are not fully semicircular, so that what may be considered open grooves or slots as at 6 are formed for the full length of the pins between said cooperating hub elements. This, as will be obvious, permits a relatively large area of the pins to be directly engaged with oil from a splash or other lubricating system. This engagement in the case of the crank pin hubs is aided by an oil dipping lip 7 depending from one of the hubs to one side of the groove. Starving of the bearings for oil and the consequent quick wear and possible burning out of the same, as when they depend on a single relatively small opening for the reception of the oil, is therefore avoided.

Bolts 8 project through and connect the webs toward their ends, said bolts being provided with preferably 'castellated nuts 9. The webs intermediate their ends and between the bolts are rockably connected to each other by a knife edge bearing unit 10, which extends parallel to the axis of the hubs. By reason of this arrangement pressing engagement of each pair of cooperating hub elements with the corresponding pin may be regulated by adjusting that bolt which is disposed between the bearing unit 10 and said hubs, without affecting the pressure or adjustment of the other pair of hubs. In this form of the rod the hubs tend to pull away from the pins due to the arrangement and action of the spring webs, and such tendency is of course overcome or restrained by the bolts so that the hubs engage the pins with the proper pressure,- as may be determined by the mechanic.

In the form of rod shown in Fig. 2, the spring webs 1a are disposed with the same diverging bow as in the first described type, but are closer together or so that they actually abutagainst each other intermediate their ends, as shown, without the intervening knife edge bearing unit. Otherwise the construction and functioning of this form of rod is the same.

In the type of rod shown in Fig. 3 the construction and functioning is again the same except that the webs 1b are more widely spaced and have a flatter bow and they neither directly engage each other nor are they rockably mounted in connection with each other at any point in their length.

In the type of rod shown in Fig. 4 the construction is changed to the extent that the bow of the webs 10 is oppositely disposed to those of the above described types, so that pressure applied to the same centrally of their length will cause the cooperating hubs 2a and 3a to frictionally but yieldably engage the respective pins. Such engagement is obtained by means of a single bolt 8a connecting said webs intermediate their ends. In all the types of the rod the hub elements are lined with babbit or similar bearing segments as at 11. Shims as shown at 12 in Fig. 2 may or may not be used about the bolts of any or all forms of the rod, between the webs, as may be desired. The use of such shims however is not in any way essential, since in all cases the bolts are under tension and a proper tightening of said bolts and the setting of their nuts will cause the hubs to frictionally engage the pins with the necessary pressure regardless of the presence or absence of any shims.

It will also be seen that while light the rod in any of its forms is strong and the webs are arranged and connected so as to resist any bending or breaking out strains incident to operation. At the same time the rod as a whole is capable of a certain amount of give or resiliency, so that a cushioned impulse is imparted to the crank-shaft rather than a hammer-like blow as is usually obtained. This makes the bearings wear longer without attention, and relieves the strains on the engine as a whole to a marked degree.

It will further be seen that the arrangement of the connecting and adjusting bolts enables the crankcase of the engine to be considerably narrower than is at present the case, since the usual bolts which are disposed to the sides of the crank-pin hubs are eliminated, and a consequent saving in width can be made. This would be a feature of considerable value in certain power plants where space is at a premium. It will also be seen that with the exception of the knife edge bearing unit, as shown in Fig. 1, the rod in any of its forms consists of two identical and symmetrical parts, so that only asingle pattern or die for each rod is necessary and the operations incident to machining or otherwise completing the rod may be carried out on both parts of the rod simultaneously.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as will substantially fulfill the objects of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as'new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A connecting rod comprising a pair of separate resilient web members, means to connect the webs and adjustably pull their ends together against the spring tension of the webs, opposed and cooperating hub sections at one end of the webs, and segmental cooperating bushing elements in the hub sections, each hub section and its bushing being less than semicircular in extent with their opposite ends disposed in substantially a common plane longitudinally of the rod.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JACOB T. ONSTOTT. 

